Anderson Silva cageside for UFC 154 with super-fight against Georges St. Pierre on mind

Brazilian fighter Anderson Silva will be in Montreal Nov. 17 to cheer on Canada’s Georges St. Pierre in his welterweight title unification bout against Carlos Condit. Why? Because Silva, the UFC middleweight kingpin, would love to fight GSP himself. (AFP)

Though St. Pierre is scheduled to unify the welterweight straps with Condit in the main event of UFC 154 in Montreal on Nov. 17, he can’t seem to shake the spectre of a potential super-fight with Silva.

UFC president Dana White threw fuel on the fire months ago, saying the bout could happen if St. Pierre defeats Condit. The Brazilian has also been openly vocal in his desire to make the showdown a reality.

Should St. Pierre be victorious at the Bell Centre, White said he wouldn’t be shocked if Silva challenges the Montreal native in the octagon.

“There’s no doubt that Anderson Silva is showing up to cheer Georges St. Pierre on,” White said on a media call Wednesday. “He wants him to win this fight and he wants to fight him after. So I would say, yes.”

Though MMA fans may be thrilled by Silva’s intentions, St. Pierre is hardly concerned about the middleweight kingpin’s cage-side appearance.

“I don’t care about Anderson Silva,” St. Pierre said bluntly. “He can do whatever he wants. He can go to Florida, or stay in Brazil if he wants. I’m focusing on Carlos Condit. That’s all that matters to me.

“The fight I want the most right now is against the best man right now — Carlos Condit. That’s the fight I want.”

The UFC’s top pay-per-view draw, St. Pierre hasn’t competed since winning a lacklustre unanimous decision over Jake Shields 19 months ago. Though a bout with Silva would mean big business for the UFC, White feels fans would be crazy to underestimate Condit. However, should it become a reality, he said he has three possible stadiums in mind, including the Rogers Centre.

“There are three great venues that you’d do,” White began. “We could go to Toronto, huge stadium there, Dallas Cowboys Stadium or you could do a soccer stadium in Brazil. So those are our three options.

“It’s fun to talk about this super-fight, but I’m sure it’s pissing Carlos off every time. (St. Pierre) has to get through Carlos Condit first.

“I really believe a lot of people aren’t giving this kid enough credit. He’s tough, man. This kid can fight. He’s got great ground skills and he’s got knockout power. If you look at the fights normally done in boxing, when a champion of GSP’s calibre comes back, they usually give him an easy fight. This is far from an easy fight for Georges St. Pierre. This is a very tough fight.”

As far as Condit is concerned, fans can get as excited as they want over the potential super-fight. It doesn’t change the fact that it will be him standing across from St. Pierre in less than two weeks.

This also isn’t the first time he’s been thrust into the role of spoiler. He stopped B.C.’s Rory MacDonald in Vancouver, knocked out England’s Dan Hardy in London and squashed a potential bout between St. Pierre and Nick Diaz.

Condit said he likes being the underdog.

“I would say that it’s definitely motivating,” Condit began. “I like playing the role of the spoiler. There are a lot of people in this sport and in the media that are overlooking me as an opponent for Georges. Maybe they’re looking forward to a super-fight with Anderson.

“They’re two of the greatest fighters ever to step into the octagon and there’s always that interest in seeing who is really the best. But first things first, Georges and I have to do our thing.”

Though Condit feels some are underestimating his chances, he doesn’t lump

St. Pierre in with that crowd.

“I don’t feel like Georges is overlooking me,” Condit said. “I’m excited to get in there, do my thing and hopefully change a lot of plans ... I’m going to walk away with the UFC welterweight title. Undisputed — no more interim championship. I’m going to be the undisputed champion.

“I pose a lot of problems for opponents, not just Georges, that they don’t get from different guys. I’m well-rounded and able to take the fight to my opponent, no matter where the fight ends up.”